(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for producing sandwich-like foods composed of two continuous sheets of surimi having interposed therebetween a layer of cheese, cheese filled with minced salami, or a raw meat mixture for the manufacture of salami.
The surimi thus obtained is usually preserved under refrigeration. The term "surimi" used herein means fish meat in the form of paste, which is obtained by washing fresh fish meat with water to remove skin, bone and oil contained therein and then crushing the fish meat added with sugar, sodium pyrophosphate and salt by means of a crusher or silent cutter.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
With the recent diversification of foods, a variety of food products comprising cheese or salami combined with various foodstuffs have come on the market. Among others, sandwich-like foods comprising sheets of processed fish meat with cheese interposed therebetween have recently become popular for use as snacks, because they have not only a high nutritive value but also a tasty flavor. However, such sandwich-like foods have been produced by interposing a slice (cut to a suitable thickness and suitable size) or sheet of solid cheese between two sheets made of fish meat and then heating the top and bottom surfaces of the fish meat sheets in an oven. Accordingly, this method is not suitable for purposes of mass production in a continuous system. In addition, this method has the practical disadvantage of requiring complicated procedures because the temperature and time employed in heating the fish meat sheets must be carefully controlled so as not to scorch them.
On the other hand, sandwich-like foods comprising fish meat sheets with salami interposed therebetween have the disadvantage that the hard salami causes a disagreeable sensation to the palate.